Large-effective-area inverse dispersion compensating fiber, and a transmission line incorporating the same

Abstract

An inverse dispersion fiber having a large effective area and a transmission system that incorporates the fiber for providing dispersion and dispersion slope compensation in a transmission fiber. The large-effective-area inverse dispersion optical fiber (IDF) has a negative dispersion and a negative dispersion slope. The effective area, A_eff, of the IDF preferably is greater than approximately 31 micrometers squared (μm²) at a transmission wavelength of approximately 1550 nm. The large-effective-area IDF is suitable for use with super-large-effective-area (SLA) transmission fiber for compensating dispersion in the SLA transmission fiber while reducing nonlinear effects between wavelength channels and cabling loss, which is especially advantageous in transoceanic and long-haul terrestrial systems. These nonlinear effects are inversely related to the effective area of the fiber (i.e., nonlinearities˜1/A_eff). Thus, an increase in the effective area of the fiber translates into a decrease in nonlinear interactions, which increases bandwidth capabilities and limits signal degradation. Furthermore, the large-effective-area IDF of the present invention has very desirable transmission properties. The present invention also provides a transmission system comprising at least one of the large-effective-area IDF optical fibers of the present invention. Furthermore, A_eff can be made large without having to increase the ratio, R_a, of the diameter of the core to the diameter of the trench region.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The invention relates to an inverse dispersion compensating optical fiber. More particularly, the invention relates to a large-effective-area inverse dispersion compensating optical fiber that exhibits relatively low optical loss relative to conventional inverse dispersion fiber and that is suitable for compensating dispersion in large-effective-area positive dispersion fiber.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]Optical fibers are thin strands of glass or plastic capable of transmitting optical signals, containing relatively large amounts of information, over long distances and with relatively low attenuation. Typically, optical fibers are made by heating and drawing a portion of an optical preform comprising a refractive core region surrounded by a protective cladding region made of glass or other suitable material. Optical fibers drawn from the preform typically are protected further by one or more coatings ap...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]The present invention provides a large-effective-area inverse dispersion optical fiber (IDF) that has a negative dispersion and a negative dispersion slope. The term “inverse dispersion fiber”, as that term is used herein, is intended to denote a dispersion compensating fiber that has a negative dispersion and a negative dispersion slope. The effective area, Aeff, of the IDF, is defined as Aeff=2⁢π⁢∫0∞⁢|E⁡(r)2⁢r⁢ⅆr⁢|2∫0∞⁢|E⁡(r)4⁢r⁢ⅆr|

Problems solved by technology

Thus, an increase in the effective area of the fiber translates into a decrease in nonlinear interactions, which increases bandwidth capabilities and limits signal degradation.

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